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While the vital importance of vitamins is well known, the
essential value of minerals is often overlooked. Although
a balanced diet, as depicted by the Food and Drug Administration’s
food pyramid, is lauded by nutrition experts, the truth is
that few people in the real world follow such idealized diet
plans. The result can be a deficient diet, with some of the
most common nutrient deficiencies being minerals.
Bodybuilders are aware of the importance
of minerals. To iron athletes, some minerals, such as
chromium and magnesium, have achieved near star status
because of their putative anabolic properties. Other minerals,
such as boron, have enjoyed their 15 minutes of fame,
but haven’t shown the anabolic potency originally
ascribed to them by some people with avowed commercial
interests in the sales of such nutrients.
Other minerals haven’t received as much publicity,
but are just as vital as the “stars.” One
example is zinc, which activates more than 100 enzymes
in the body and is needed for both insulin and testosterone
synthesis.
The typical precontest bodybuilding diet presents problems
when it comes to adequate mineral intake. Such diets are,
by necessity, limited in both calories and food variety.
While this can help promote bodyfat oxidation, it also
sets the stage for nutrient |
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| deficiency. Studies have shown that female
bodybuilders in contest shape are often lacking in calcium and iron. A simple solution would be a good multi-mineral
supplement. |
Drugs commonly used by competitive bodybuilders can also
wreak havoc with mineral balance. For example, anabolic steroids
promote calcium, phosphorus and even sodium retention. Insulin
and growth hormone also lead to sodium retention. This, in
turn, promotes potassium excretion. In addition, taking too
much of one mineral might cause the excretion of another,
an example of which can be found in the relationship between
zinc and copper.
The most obvious illustration of mineral imbalance is the
graphic display of muscle cramping seen in bodybuilders who
use certain diuretics before a contest. Diuretics might interfere
with several minerals, causing retention of some and excretion
of others. Thiazide diuretics, for example, cause both calcium
retention and potassium excretion. Other diuretics, such as
spironolactone (Aldactone) are potassium-sparing and sodium-excreting
in nature. Taking supplemental potassium with this type of
drug can be extremely dangerous, as some bodybuilders have
found out.
A recent report in the European Journal of Applied Physiology
(73:299-303, 1996) described how both anaerobic and aerobic
exercise affect mineral levels. The study involved 50 healthy
men, 34 of whom were professional athletes. Some of the athletes
engaged in anaerobic sports, such as judo and fencing; the
others engaged in aerobic activity, specifically, endurance
cycling.
Results showed that the anaerobic athletes had higher levels
of zinc than their aerobic counterparts, and both groups showed
higher levels of that mineral than did the non-athletes in
the study. The anaerobic athletes also showed higher levels
of copper than both of the other groups (the aerobic athletes
and the non-athletes).
Since the study participants lived in Madrid, Spain, which
has a polluted environment, the researchers also checked their
subjects for buildups of toxic minerals associated with pollution,
such as lead and cadmium. The athletes showed lower levels
of those toxic minerals, leading the scientists to speculate
that the athletes might have more efficient physiological
systems that are better able to eliminate harmful minerals.
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